President Biden speaks from the Treaty Room in the White House today. Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
‘It’s time to end America’s longest war,’ President Biden declared today from the Treaty Room of the White House.
The U.S. will fully exit Afghanistan by Sept. 11 of this year, regardless of the conditions on the ground, writes Axios World editor Dave Lawler.
Why it matters: Biden said waiting for the ‘right moment’ was ‘a recipe for keeping American troops in Afghanistan indefinitely.’
‘I am now the fourth United States president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,’ Biden said.
‘I will not pass this responsibility to a fifth.’
Former President Barack Obama, who rejected Biden’s advice by surging troops into Afghanistan in 2009, said in a statement that it was ‘time to recognize that we have accomplished all that we can militarily.’
David Petraeus, the former commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, warned of a potential Taliban offensive and a vacuum to be filled by terror groups.
Testifying before Congress today, CIA Director Bill Burns, noted that the withdrawal carried a ‘significant risk,’ in part because it would be harder to collect and act on intelligence on groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS.
But Burns said those groups don’t ‘currently possess’ the capability to coordinate attacks against the U.S. from Afghanistan.
What’s next: Biden said the full withdrawal would begin on May 1, the date by which former President Donald Trump had agreed to pull all troops from the country.” Read more at Axios
‘A federal vaccine advisory committee said Wednesday it wanted more data before deciding whether to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine, leaving in place a temporary pause that federal officials had recommended because of a rare and severe type of blood clot identified so far among six of the 7.5 million people who received the shot.
The move means the single-shot Johnson & Johnson product will remain on the shelf for at least a week and a half.
At the hastily arranged emergency meeting a day after federal officials recommended a temporary pause in use of the vaccine, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed to reconvene within 10 days, acknowledging the urgency of making a decision about a vaccine that is a key part of the strategy to end the pandemic in the United States and globally.” Read more at Washington Post
Data: CSSE Johns Hopkins University. Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
“The number of new coronavirus infections in the U.S continues to rise, making a quick, clean end to the pandemic less and less likely.
New cases rose this past week in 25 states — half the country — and declined in six, Axios' Sam Baker and Andrew Witherspoon report.
Why it matters: Much of the U.S. is relying almost exclusively on vaccines to control the virus, abandoning social distancing and other safety measures. And that’s helping the virus to steadily gain ground, even as vaccinations barrel ahead.
Between the lines: Another surge is likely to be a lot less deadly than previous waves, because so many vulnerable Americans have been vaccinated. But it'll provide fertile conditions for the virus to mutate into new variants, keeping COVID in our lives even longer.” Read more at Axios
“A prominent forensic pathologist testified for Derek Chauvin’s defense Wednesday that George Floyd died of ‘sudden cardiac arrhythmia’ because of existing heart disease and illicit drug use, contradicting prosecution experts who said Floyd succumbed to a lack of oxygen while pinned to the ground under the officer’s knee.
David Fowler, a former chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland, said he would not have categorized Floyd’s death a homicide, as an autopsy declared, saying there were too many conflicting factors to accurately determine the manner of death.
He also suggested Floyd’s exposure to exhaust from a nearby police squad car may have contributed to his death — though he later admitted during cross-examination from the prosecution that he wasn’t sure the vehicle was running.” Read more at Washington Post
“The former police officer who was recorded on camera fatally shooting Daunte Wright during a traffic stop was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, authorities said Wednesday.
Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, was arrested at about 11:30 a.m. at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension in St. Paul, officials said.
She was charged with second-degree manslaughter, the bureau said. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars.
Wright, 20, who was Black, died of a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office, which classified the manner of death as a homicide.” Read more at NBC News
“Chicago city officials announced they will release ‘video and other materials related to’ the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo by an officer who chased him into an alley. The decision comes after the Toledo family viewed police body camera video showing the shooting Tuesday. Officials informed the Toledo family, through their attorney, about the planned release of the video, according to a statement from the city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The materials released will include bodycam footage, as well as response and arrest reports. Toledo was killed in the early morning hours of March 29. When police arrived on the scene on the city's West Side after eight gunshots were detected, Toledo and a 21-year-old man fled, authorities said. The officer shot Toledo once in the chest after an ‘armed confrontation,’ police said. Prosecutors have said the boy was holding a gun when the officer shot him.” Read more at CNN
“The Senate voted Wednesday with overwhelming bipartisan support to open debate on an anti-Asian American hate crimes bill, signaling Republicans' willingness to compromise on the legislation, which aims to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans and strengthen hate crime reporting.
Senators voted 92-6 to proceed to debate on the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, legislation that would expedite the Justice Department's review of hate crimes as the Asian American community has seen an increase in incidents during the coronavirus pandemic. It also would task the department with coordinating with local law enforcement groups and community-based organizations to facilitate and raise awareness about hate-crime reporting.
Republican lawmakers seemed to back the potential to filibuster the bill on Tuesday after Democrats urged their colleagues across the aisle to get on board and signaled they were open to bipartisan amendments addressing concerns the GOP might have.
The bill's path forward depends on the evenly split Senate's ability to negotiate on amendments. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, who introduced the bill, said Wednesday that about 20 amendments have been filed so far, with some from Republicans that ‘have absolutely nothing to do with the bill.’ Read more at USA Today
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, had indicated concern that the bill's focus on COVID-related hate crimes was too narrow, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday could be addressed.
“A U.S. Capitol Police officer has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing for fatally shooting Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to breach a set of doors deep in the Capitol during the January siege, federal prosecutors in D.C. announced Wednesday.
Authorities determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove Babbitt’s civil rights were violated, and that it was reasonable for the officer to believe he was firing in self-defense or in defense of members of Congress and aides who were fleeing the House chamber. Prosecutors did not identify the officer.
The killing of the 35-year-old California native became one of the defining moments of the riot, after graphic videos of her shooting spread across social media and were replayed by news outlets.” Read more at Washington Post
“A House committee voted on Wednesday to recommend for the first time the creation of a commission to consider providing Black Americans with reparations for slavery in the United States and a ‘national apology’ for centuries of discrimination.
The vote by the House Judiciary Committee was a major milestone for proponents of reparations, who have labored for decades to build mainstream support for redressing the lingering effects of slavery. Democrats on the panel advanced the legislation establishing the commission over Republican objections, 25 to 17.
The bill — labeled H.R. 40 after the unfulfilled Civil War-era promise to give former slaves ‘40 acres and a mule’ — still faces steep odds of becoming law. With opposition from some Democrats and unified Republicans, who argue that Black Americans do not need a government handout for long-ago crimes, neither chamber of Congress has committed to a floor vote.
But as the country grapples anew with systemic racism laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic and the death of George Floyd and other Black men in confrontations with the police, the measure has drawn support from the nation’s most powerful Democrats, including President Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader. Polling suggests that public support is growing, too, though it remains far from widespread.” Read more at New York Times
“When Alabama’s Shelby County sued nearly a decade ago to strike down key pieces of the Voting Rights Act, a civil rights lawyer named Kristen Clarke helped to argue that the entire law should be upheld. A district court agreed, reaffirming that local governments with a history of discriminatory voting practices needed federal permission to change their voting laws.
Though the Supreme Court ultimately overturned the lower-court ruling, the case helped establish Ms. Clarke as one of the nation’s foremost advocates for voting rights protections. Nominated by President Biden to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, she would if confirmed be likely to play a key role on the issue for the administration, which has made defense of voting rights a priority as states including Georgia work to enact laws that restrict access to the ballot box.
Mr. Biden called Georgia’s recently passed legislation ‘Jim Crow in the 21st century,’ and he and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland have said that the government must preserve the right to vote.
‘I will follow their lead in ensuring that the Civil Rights Division, if I am confirmed, is using the tools in its arsenal — the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Citizens Voting Act — to ensure that eligible Americans have access to the ballot in our country,’ Ms. Clarke said on Wednesday during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Ms. Clarke, 46, who would be the first Senate-confirmed leader of the Civil Rights Division to be a woman of color, testified alongside Todd Kim, a Justice Department veteran and Mr. Biden’s choice to run its Environmental and Natural Resources Division. Mr. Kim told senators that protecting the nation’s ‘shared interest in the environment and our natural resources’ was a calling.
Several civil rights issues, including the uptick in violence against Asian-Americans and high-profile police killings of Black people, have made civil rights enforcement one of Mr. Biden’s most visible agenda items.” Read more at New York Times
“The Biden administration is expected to announce sanctions targeting Russian individuals and entities in response to the SolarWinds hack and election interference. The punishments, which could be announced as soon as today, also include new financial restrictions and the expulsion of as many as a dozen Russian diplomats from the US. The sanctions have been a long time coming, in part because the White House wanted more sanctions than the State Department first proposed, a US official said. The US is trying to walk a fine line with Russia, keeping lines of diplomatic communication open while also addressing growing demonstrations of aggression. All 30 members of the NATO alliance have expressed concern about the massive buildup of Russian forces near Crimea and along Ukraine's borders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.” Read more at CNN
“The FBI opens a new investigation into China ‘every 10 hours,’ FBI Director Christopher Wray said. In comments to the Senate Intelligence Committee, he said more than 2,000 FBI investigations tie back to the Chinese government, and no other country represented more of a threat to US economic security and democratic ideals. China and the US have clashed on several fronts recently, including over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang and political crackdowns in Hong Kong. John Kerry, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, landed in Shanghai this week to meet with counterparts ahead of an environmental summit this month. The meetings will test whether the US and China can work together on some issues, like climate change, while butting heads on others.” Read more at CNN
“Democrats will introduce a bill to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, New York Rep. Mondaire Jones said in a tweet Wednesday night. Jones said he is introducing the Judiciary Act of 2021 with Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y.; Hank Johnson, D-Ga. and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. Nadler, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said during a Wednesday meeting that an announcement would be made Thursday. During that meeting, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, interrupted a spirited back and forth between committee members about other legislation to ask about a report in The Intercept on the Democrats' plan. Other Republicans followed suit and spoke about the potential for "court packing." Progressive groups also have spoken out against adding justices to the high court and have been pushing for a number of other ideas. Legislation to expand the court would face an uphill battle in the evenly divided Senate.” Read more at USA Today
“The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Gov. Tony Evers (D) did not have the authority to impose capacity limits on restaurants, bars or other businesses without the approval of the state legislature.
The 5-4 ruling from the conservative-majority court found that Evers exceeded his authority last fall when he issued orders to limit indoor, public gatherings to 25 percent of a building’s or room’s capacity.” Read more at The Hill
“Despite conservative resistance, many businesses and some states are plowing ahead with vaccine passports, which verify that people have been vaccinated, Axios Vitals author Caitlin Owens writes.
The list of universities requiring proof of vaccination is growing.
Why it matters: Many businesses view some sort of vaccine verification system as key to getting back to normal. But in the absence of federal leadership, a confusing patchwork is popping up.
Where it stands: The Biden administration has said that it won't mandate vaccine passports, nor create a federal vaccination database. That leaves decision-making to the states and private sector.
Several Republican governors said they'll fight such systems, and Texas and Florida have tried to ban them.
Requiring proof of vaccination is likely on solid legal ground, experts tell Axios.” Read more at Axios
“Japan is facing major challenges just 100 days out from the Tokyo Olympics, which have already been pushed back a year due to Covid-19. The recent global surge of Covid-19, which has been felt domestically in the city of Osaka, is throwing qualifying events into question and forcing organizers of the games to take even more precautions.” [Vox] Read more at Al Jazeera
“Eruption in the Caribbean. Didier Trebucq, the United Nations resident coordinator for Barbados and the eastern Caribbean, has warned of a humanitarian crisis following volcanic eruptions on the island of St. Vincent. About 20 percent of the island’s population has been displaced as volcanic ash continues to rain down. The National Emergency Management Organisation for St. Vincent and the Grenadines has forecast ‘explosions and accompanying ashfall, of similar or larger magnitude” for the next few days.’ Read more at Foreign Policy
“Brazil investigates. The Brazilian Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for a Senate investigation into President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the country’s COVID-19 epidemic. Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco had attempted to delay the probe, citing current coronavirus restrictions. Sen. Marcio Bittar, an ally of Bolsonaro, has called the investigation ‘an attempted coup against the president.’ Brazil’s seven-day average COVID-19 death toll hit a record high on Monday, with 3,125 deaths reported.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Sweden, like many countries over the past year, has experienced a baby bust, with 6.4 percent fewer births in 2020 than in 2019. That drop could get even worse as the country now faces a shortage of sperm donors as men largely avoided hospitals and donation clinics in 2020.
The problem has driven up wait times for assisted pregnancy from six months to two and a half years, leaving would-be parents with the option of paying the nearly $12,000 fee to attend a private clinic which can purchase donated sperm from overseas. Assisted pregnancies are otherwise covered by Sweden’s national health system.
Sweden’s regulations have also contributed to the shortage; a maximum of six women can use the same donor, and the vetting process for donors takes roughly 8 months.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Baylor University and men's basketball coach Scott Drew have refused to accept a vehicle wrapped with the school's national championship logo after an insensitive remark made by the dealership's general manager.” Read more at USA Today
“Bubble tea products, also called boba, are becoming harder to find as another COVID-19-related shortage takes hold. The blockage of the Suez Canal by a large cargo ship last month is being blamed for the delays.” Read more at USA Today
“Former NFL player and Bachelor star Colton Underwood came out as gay on Good Morning America Wednesday. ‘And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it,’ Underwood told GMA's Robin Roberts. ‘And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know.’” [Vox] Read more at GMA
“Bernie Madoff, who organized the largest Ponzi scheme in US history, died this morning in prison, at the age of 82.” [Vox] Read more at CNBC / Marty Steinberg and Scott Cohn
“Lives Lived: John Naisbitt’s ability to see a link between the counterculture of the 1960s and Reagan-era Washington made him a favorite bedside read for yuppies in the 1980s. He died at 92.” Read more at New York Times
“More Americans died of drug overdoses in the year leading to September 2020 than any 12-month period since the opioid epidemic began in the 1990s, Axios Future correspondent Bryan Walsh writes.
Why it matters: The increase in "deaths of despair" shows the pandemic's social distancing may have had deadly side effects.
The biggest spike was in April and May 2020, when shutdowns were strictest.” Read more at Axios
A renewed Covid wave has India turning inward
“A new wave of Covid-19 is slamming India, with cases there at their highest point since the beginning of the pandemic. The “world’s pharmacy” has now overtaken Brazil to become the second-worst-hit country in the world, behind only the United States.” [Vox] Read more at TRT World
“Ten states — including Maharashtra, home to Mumbai, one of India’s primary economic and population centers — recorded a whopping 83% of India’s 168,000 new cases Monday.” [Vox] Read more at CNBC / Saheli Roy Choudhury
“For the next 15 days, Mumbai residents will live under strict restrictions, including closures of most businesses, industries, and public places. Experts worry the new restrictions could stymie any of the economic recoveries made since India's 2020 lockdown.” [Vox] Read more at AP / Rafiq Maqbool and Aniruddha Ghosal]
“Though India produces more vaccines than any other country and anyone above the age of 45 is eligible to be vaccinated, sites are turning people away. Critics are blaming Modi’s government for exporting over 64 million vaccines while inoculating only a tiny portion of the domestic population. Stock in Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Punjab in particular is stretched.” [Vox] Read more at Al Jazeera / Bilal Kuchay
“Two weeks ago, India began holding back all 2.4 million doses of vaccine that the country’s private Serum Institute produced every day, despite half of those vaccines being earmarked for the world’s 92 lowest-income countries. Covax, the program set up to supply vaccine doses to low-income nations, has had to inform would-be recipients that nearly 100 million doses expected through April will be delayed.” [Vox] Read more at NYT / Jeffrey Gettleman, Emily Schmall, and Mujib Mashal